Pepper Pr0n

[fisting_mayfield]

Hi all!

Thought i'd post up some pics of my babies!

http://www2.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/50c9b1d820713b0084d91814110b9a115g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=50vjjttmf3b&thumb=4)

From left to right...
-Red Habanero
-Capsicum chacoense (Bolivian Small Red)
-"Mayfield" Chili - unsure what kind it is, found it growing from a crack in a pavement at my last rental
-Golden Bullet Habanero
-Tasmanian Habanero
-Jimmy Nardello's
-Purple Tiger
-Peruvian White Habanero
-Bhut Jolokia
-Jalapeño
-Jaloro
-Red Cayanne
-Dunso

I'll post up some more pics soon!

[Pam]

Oh, what a bunch of teases! When do we get to see their buds?


And, what's a Dunso pepper. That's a name I've never heard.

[fisting_mayfield]

NuMex Dunso From New Mexico. Grows to 3 inches long. Yellow in colour with a rounded tip. Hot.

I'll post some more pics when i start getting fruits!

[DevilDuck]

I've never heard of those either...and I live here. It doesn't mean they don't exist, though.

[wordwiz]

Are those pots large enough to hold the pepper when it is fully grown? They look like three gallon or so. I've got about 400 sq./ft. of dead garden space in the back forty (feet!) that I want to grow peppers in and plan on using containers. If I don't need a 5-gallon but can get away with a three, it will save me buying lots of dirt 0r stealing it from my garden. At 2 bucks a bag (that will barely be enough for two 5-gallon containers), if I can achieve the same results in 3-gallon ones, it will save several Georges, especially since I plan on somewhere between 75-90 plants.

[fisting_mayfield]

lol

I hope I'll be moving all of the chilies into the big orange ones eventually, and i hope they will be big enough!!!

Thats the only spot in my yard that gets sun, and is about 1/3 my total backyard.

I'd love to plant in the ground... but renting is a bastard, and i dont want to leave my babies behind!

[wordwiz]

Are the big orange ones 5-gallon. My better half has some of them and they look like, except for the rim at the top, that they will easily fit inside a 5-gallon bucket.

My main concern is the plnats getting root-bound. That happened with a tomato plant this year and it turned out like crap. In the light of full disclosure, though, I didn't plant it in dirt alone, I also used potting soil (which I now know not to do!).

[fisting_mayfield]

I have no idea how many gallons they are...

is it 4.5l per gallon?

Metric is superior!

[chilliman64]

it is one hundred times superior (a little metric joke there... hehehe)

the large orange pots are plenty big enough. the larger small pots (nearer the fence) are also big enough, though if you want to overwinter and get another season or two you may consider transplanting into the larger pots next spring.

[billyboy]

"Mayfield" Chili - unsure what kind it is, found it growing from a crack in a pavement at my last rentalThe chilli plant that grows up through a crack in the concrete almost definitely has to be the prolific "Birds Eye" a hardy plant that produces hundreds of very hot inch long pods.

[fisting_mayfield]

Yeah, i thought it might be a birdseye...

It just dosent look like your regular run-of-the-mill birdseye tho... its not all bushy, it tends to grow taller.

It also changes colour heaps when maturing... from white to green to purple to red.. at least I think its in that order!

[bentalphanerd]

My guess is there's about 20 varieties of asian 'birdseye' There's a few hundred varieties of asian peppers that aren't categorised anywhere.
Would be good to find someone dedicated enough to start categorising.

[chilliman64]

that'd take too long, better to just eat them!

[fisting_mayfield]

hey, my red hab keeps on dropping its flowers?

I'm only watering it 2 times a week, and have mulched the top to keep that moisture in...

I read somewhere that blossom drop can occur if the plant experiences temps over 30 during the day... Could this be contributing to it?

What else can i do???

[bentalphanerd]

Blossom/flower drop is a favorite topic around here. Try a bit of a Search up there at the top of the page & see if anything relates to your circumstance.

[fisting_mayfield]

lol

me so lazy...

[bentalphanerd]

heh - i tried to do it for you but there were too many options...and 10 bucks says i'm lazier.

[fisting_mayfield]

Right...

So i've read around on the hot topic of flower drop...

Originally Posted by willard3

Flower drop probable causes:

1. Day temp too high >95F
2. Night temp too low <65F
3. Too much nitrogen fertilizer
4. Too much water
5. Low light levels (reduces fertility).
6. Very low humidity (reduces fertility)
7. Poor air circulation (air circulation contributes to pollination).
8. Lack of pollinating insects.
9. Size of pot
10. Too much mineral in feedwater.

I dont get it... From what i can see i'm doing everything right!!!

We havent had a day in the mid 30s yet....
Its not too cold at night...
I've switched to a low nitrogen fertaliser (2 or 3 weeks ago)...
I've cut back on watering the plant to 2 times a week, or if i see the leaves starting to droop...
It gets heaps of light/wind...
and so on...

ARRRRRR!!!
Its so disappointing to go out everyday and see more flowers on the ground!

[fisting_mayfield]

Oh, i forgot to mention...

I've been trying to help it pollinate by sticking my finger into flowers, and a cotton bud... but no luck

[bentalphanerd]

The other thing I've found in our local dodgy climate is that the plant will put on a boost when things are good (lightning storm, a little rain), it grows heaps of leaves & growth & flowers then the next week when its hot & dry things start to fade again.
Leaves turn yellow, bugs come by the thousand, flowers drop.

[fisting_mayfield]

i haven't had any other problems with the plant...

http://www4.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/fcbe5c808df193b225cde53bbd4cb1bd6g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ftwzkyzz31h&thumb=4)
As you can see it looks pretty healthy minus the whole flower dropping thing.

I was thinking that the fence behind it could be radiating heat, thus making it too hot?

[bentalphanerd]

There was something about the roots getting too hot if the pot itself gets full sun for too long.
I'm taking guesses.

[fisting_mayfield]

Frustrating

[Pam]

You know, this summer we had several weeks where the temps got to or above 100F(38C) almost everyday. We even had a few 107F(41-42C) in row. I didn't see much of a drop in production, though. I suspect the heavy layer of mulch I put down, and the general weediness of the garden at that time kept the soil temperatures from getting excessive.

So, this would be my long-winded way of saying that bent is probably correct when he says the temperature of the roots may be the issue. Consider wrapping the pot in foil to reflect some of the heat away since it looks like you have it mulched pretty well on top.

It is a healthy, stocky looking plant. It may also just need a little time for the excess nitrogen to be flushed out of the soil. I like to tell people that patience may be a virtue, but it's not one of mine; however, sometimes in gardening, it's the best cure.

[fisting_mayfield]

now that i think about it, the pot does get pretty warm during the day...
I'll move it to another location where it gets less direct sunlight, and see how it goes

[wordwiz]

Like Pam, we had several days in excess of 100 degrees - a record number. But the peppers kept producing fruit, although the tomatoes didn't fare quite as well. I would go with the roots getting too hot theory. Which gives me something to think about, as I plan on doing all by peppers in containers.

[fisting_mayfield]

would changing it from a ceramic pot to a plastic one help?

The ceramic one gets hot, then stays hot forever!

[bentalphanerd]

The biggest plant I have is a Siam thats never had direct sunlight. Its in the ground & shaded by a few large trees - never fertilized. Its just hit 80 cm (2'8") & doesn't look like slowing down yet.

http://linksdisk.alphanerdz.com/blog/001_291107SML/siam_80cm_SML.jpg

[fisting_mayfield]

Right,

So i'll keep it in its ceramic pot, but move it so it dosent get as much direct sunlight, and therefore the pot dosent heat up as much...

I'll post up the results (if any!)

[wordwiz]

would changing it from a ceramic pot to a plastic one help?

The ceramic one gets hot, then stays hot forever!

Even in the hottest of summers, I doubt the soil temps, at the level the roots inhibit, is much above 75 degrees. Not to mention, the ground usually has a decent amount of moisture unless you are in a drought condition and have not watered the soil for several days.

But in a pot, the soil could easily warm to 85 degrees or higher. Not to mention, dry the dirt out in a hurry.

[bentalphanerd]

Did some picking today:

http://linksdisk.alphanerdz.com/stuff/1st_harvest_spring07_SML.jpg

[BobsYourUncle]

Damn you for having ripe pods :P I have a heap of green ones, but nothing ripe yet - wait, I lie, I did have a ripe hungarian wax a few weeks ago, but it didn't last long enough for a picture. Besides, it's the 30+ green nagas I'm really sweating on :hell:

Oh, and while I'm posting, I also spotted my first scorpion bud starting to develop this morning :D

[Pam]

Them's some purdy peppers!

Is the long, skinny one on the bottom right a Siam? It looks like my Criolla Sella peppers, but you discounted them as "unworthy". They're baccatuums.

[fisting_mayfield]

Jealous!

[bentalphanerd]

Them's some purdy peppers!

Is the long, skinny one on the bottom right a Siam? It looks like my Criolla Sella peppers, but you discounted them as "unworthy". They're baccatuums.

Yes thats a Siam. I have a mountain of them coming.

[bentalphanerd]

Hey fisting - did you watch Gardening Australia tonight?

One guy actually planted his pots directly into the ground so he could dig them out again in winter & move them to the greenhouse.

Another segment had someone putting their pot inside a larger pot and stuffing the space between them with mulch to keep down the heat.

[chilliman64]

now they are great ideas!

[fisting_mayfield]

I'll make sure i catch the replay on ABC or ABC2 tomorrow! Cheers!

[stillmanz]

Bent Those are nice habs mate they may even be bigger than mine. (I secretly hate you now.)lol
All I'mm saying is wait until the fatalii's
mooohahahahahaahah
Mick

[bentalphanerd]

how many fatalii's you got growing Mick.

[stillmanz]

Bout 200 plus a few here there lol
Next year I'm trying for 500. God knows what I'm going to do with them all.....

[bentalphanerd]

A new Ol man Stillmanz sauce on the way?

[stillmanz]

Yep Its a beaut too. Just waiting on my slow growing yellow devils to come through for me maybe for Horrible haggis and his Jindivick festival.

[chilliman64]

sounds like you may have a few fatalii seeds available in a few months Mick... are you planning on selling any? I'd gladly crack open the vault to get some off you. naturally will have to include an order for some more of your sauces!

I saw the replay of Gardening Oz today, some good tips there, esp the ones about foliar feeding.

[stillmanz]

I'll bag some flowers and get some nice pure ones for you even. I'll also bag you some prik kee nu suan My favourite curry / stir fry chilli.

Mick

[chilliman64]

oooohhhh, thanks!

[AlabamaJack]

Hey Stillmanz....would you be so kind as to tell me how you bag your flowers please. I assume you germinate them yourself with a brush or something before you bag them?

Thanks in advance.